The Concept of Individual Theories - Essay Example

Chapter Questions Question The theories are called individual theories because they concentrate on “individuals as the primary cause of behavior” and explore internal environmental factors that influence people’s decision-making processes and their final decisions (Butler, p. 35). The theories are based on the assumption that individual decisions and the process of such decisions are subject to external environmental factors (Butler, p. 35). Question 4 The transtheoretical model is transtheoretical because of the transition between theories that it proposes across different stages of a change process.

This is because the different stages of a process involve different scopes that require the application of different theories. The transtheoretical theory however offers a framework for the application of the different theories, appropriately, at each stage of a process (Butler, p. 43). Question 5The key stages in TTM are “pre-contemplation,” “contemplation,” “preparation,” “action,” “maintenance,” and “termination” while the key stages in PAPM are being unaware and unengaged about an issue, “deciding about acting,” “acting and maintenance” (p. 45). The two models are similar in a number of common stages such as acting and maintenance.

They however also have differences in the stages. Pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, and termination stages in TTM for instance do not exist in PAPM. Similarly, some stages in PAPM such as a person’s preliminary unawareness of the subject matter, and the process of deciding to act or deciding not to act do not exist in TTM. The Transtheoretical Model and the Precaution Adoption Process Model, therefore, have both similarities and differences in their stages of implementation (Butler, p. 45).